Training Innovations FundApplication form and guidance notes

As part of its Training and Professional Development Strategy, Cochrane is launching an annual Training Innovations Fund to support new and exciting approaches to providing training about Cochrane activities. The Fund will provide an award of up to £30,000 to support an innovative project with the potential to create important impact for the organisation and help us further our goals under the Strategy.

To apply for the Training Innovations Fund, please complete an application as described below as an MS-Word file or pdf and return by email [with ‘Training Innovations Fund application’ as the header] to cwatts@cochrane.org by Friday 30 October 2015.

Please read the guidance notes before completing the application form. These give detail as to the core information that is expected to be included in the application form, and we will not consider applications that overlook these requirements.

The guidance notes also include the selection process that we will follow for assessing applications and awarding funding to the successful project. This information includes the selection criteria that we will use to judge applications, and we recommend you consider these criteria closely in composing your application.

If you have any further questions about the Training Innovations Fund or completion of this application form, please contact:

Chris WattsLearning and Support Officercwatts@cochrane.orgTel: +44 (0)207 1837 503

Overview of timelines30 October 2015 Closing date for applicationsNovember 2015 Applicants informed of resultsJanuary 2016 Expected start date of successful projectSeptember 2016 Interim reportDecember 2016 Final report and expected closing date of successful project

Thank you for your interest in Cochrane’s Training Innovations Fund and we look forward to receiving your application.

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Cochrane Training Innovations Fund: Application form

Please complete an application basing your submission on each of the section headings provided below. Please also include a signed copy of the complete ‘SIGNATURES’ section provided. Electronic signatures are acceptable.

Detailed guidance notes are provided below detailing core information required for completion.

1. Title of proposed project

2. Project Lead – including the following: Title and name Host institution Contact address Email Telephone Role in Cochrane (if applicable)

3. Description of project team, including specific roles

4. Detailed project outline (aims, objectives, approach) – max 1500 words

5. Alignment with Cochrane Training and Professional Development Strategy

6. Impact, sustainability and dissemination

7. Timelines and deliverables

8. Costing and justification

9. Involvement or support required from Cochrane

10. Conflict of interest declaration

11. Brief team CVs

SIGNATURES (please include this section in full in your application)

Data protection statementInformation that you supply in connection with this application (which includes all information sent that relates to your application, or, in the event of an award, relates to that award) will be used to process your application and for the purposes of audit and / or evaluation. It will be viewed by members of the Training Innovations Fund Steering Group and Cochrane Learning and Development Team. It may also be disclosed to members of Cochrane’s Central Executive Team for the purpose of evaluating your application.

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Cochrane will publish details of successful awards (for example, on its website). Dissemination and communication mechanisms for your project will be discussed with you should your project be successful.

Cochrane is registered with the UK Data Protection Register.

UndertakingsThe applicants acknowledge that Cochrane relies on the accuracy and completeness of the information provided in this application form and agrees that, should an award be made, Cochrane may amend or withdraw the award in the event that there is any inconsistency or inaccuracy in that information. Please note that if the application is successful, Cochrane must be informed of any changes that may affect the project during its duration.

In signing this application form where shown below, and in consideration of the receipt of this application by Cochrane, all applicants accept that the information provided in the application form and otherwise in connection with this application is to the best of their knowledge and belief accurate and complete and that, in relation to any award resulting from the application, they will: Take all reasonable actions to ensure that Cochrane’s contribution to the funding of

the activity is suitably acknowledged; Promptly inform Cochrane of any changes during the period of an award to any of the

details provided in the application; Ensure that the funds provided are used for the purpose for which they have been

given, and in accordance with any and all conditions of the award.

In signing this application, the Project Lead certify that there is no legal, financial, ethical or other possible conflict of interest, as usually understood or according to Cochrane’s policies, that would prevent them from participating in the Training Innovations Fund; or declare such a conflict so that the implications of this can be considered when the proposal is being assessed.

Signature of Project Lead: Date:

The application must be signed and dated below by a representative of the institution administering the grant, typically the institution of the Project Lead, who is authorised to bind the Project Lead to the terms and conditions allied to the Training Innovations Fund, and to compliance with the information submitted in the proposal.

In signing this application, the authorised signatory for the host institution gives approval for the Project Lead to submit this application and will take responsibility to administer funds to the Project Lead. If it is not appropriate for a host institution to be accountable for this funding, the Project Lead should sign as an assuming authority and responsibility for administration of funds on behalf of the applicants.

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Signature of authorised signatory: Date:

Print name: Position & Institution:

Thank you for your application to Cochrane’s Training Innovations Fund.

Please return your application by email [with ‘Training Innovations Fund application’ as the header] to cwatts@cochrane.org by Friday 30 October 2015.

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Guidance Notes for completing application form

The Training Innovation Fund is open to supporting a range of activities under a very broad definition of training and development, across any field related to Cochrane activity, including review production (authoring or editorial), methodology, dissemination and knowledge translation, and others. Proposals should consider and demonstrate alignment with Cochrane’s training mission:

To provide outstanding, inclusive learning and support programmes that effectively enhance the skills, knowledge and experience of current and potential contributors, enable high quality participation in diverse Cochrane activities, and enable the effective implementation of Cochrane policies and procedures.

We are interested to hear proposals that either reimagine approaches to existing training or develop new training projects, including (but not confined to):

Development and testing of new training or development models or alternative approaches to unmet needs

Development of new areas of training content Building capacity to support specific areas of Cochrane activity

Proposals may seek to demonstrate the impact of a recent, innovative approach or to test a proof of concept or pilot something not done before. Our primary interest is in supporting proposals that clearly show an inventive or pioneering approach to meeting the needs of our learners, that will provide innovative models or resources to inform future Cochrane training activities, and that will help Cochrane sponsor learning that is efficient, productive and of a high standard.

These guidance notes are intended to support you in developing your application for the Training Innovations Fund, and give additional information under each of the APPLICATION HEADINGS. Please read these guidance notes carefully and ensure that you consider all of the requirements described in your submission, as failure to observe these requirements may impact how your proposal is assessed for the award.

The guidance notes also provide ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about the selection process that we will use to assess submitted proposals and make a final award, and the evaluation of the Training Innovations Fund. Please pay particular attention to the selection criteria contained in this section; you may wish to use this as a checklist to ensure that your proposal addresses all of the criteria described as appropriate.

APPLICATION HEADINGS

1. Title of proposed projectTitles should be brief and convey in plain, non-technical language the aim or ambition of the project.

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2. Project leadPlease provide full contact details for the Project Lead. This should be the person acting as the single point of contact for the proposal, and who will be responsible for leading, reporting on and delivering the successfully funded project.

Please provide the name of the proposed host institution as part of this information. This information will be used for contracting purposes, as appropriate.

Please include a description of any current role taken in Cochrane, if appropriate. Please note this is requested for information only, and applications from those not having current affiliation with Cochrane are encouraged and not considered an impediment to the right team with the right approach.

3. Description of project teamPlease use this space to describe the composition of the project team. This might include names, titles and institutions, together with a description of expertise brought. This should include a description of specific roles that team members will play in the delivery of the proposed project, including clarity around where key experts are included as playing advisory roles only.

You may also chose to include information here as to how the proposed team will collaborate to deliver the project.

Please do not include CVs in this section – brief CVs should be appended in section 11.

4. Detailed project outline (aims, objectives, approach) – max 1500 wordsUse this space to provide a detailed outline of the project, including the aims, objectives, the methods and approach that you are proposing to take. You should also describe here any outputs and / or outcomes of the proposed project.

5. Alignment with Cochrane Training and Professional Development StrategyYou can view Cochrane’s Training and Professional Development Strategy at http://training.cochrane.org/about/strategy. The Strategy describes the mission, goals and objectives of Cochrane’s training programme over the next five years. A key element of the Training Innovations Fund is that we are looking to fund a project that demonstrates that it adds value to the direction described in our Strategy. This section is your opportunity to show how your proposed project aligns with one or more elements of our Strategy, and does so in a way that is original and stimulating.

You may also find it informative for context to look at some of the current resources on Cochrane’s Training website: http://training.cochrane.org.

6. Impact, sustainability and disseminationPlease use this space to describe the intended impact of your project, as well as any plans you propose to develop for evaluating the project. This section is your opportunity to describe how your project takes an innovative to training or learning needs that has real potential to make a difference to people’s experience of Cochrane. We are also interested in how your proposed project might be sustainable after funding is over, whether through collaborating with Cochrane to implement a particular model of learning or through dissemination of the approach taken. You might also want to include here some

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information about your proposed dissemination strategy, including any innovative approaches to this, and how you propose to present experiences or findings to Cochrane, our users and stakeholders, and beyond to academics or educationalists.

7. Timelines and deliverablesPlease give a detailed breakdown of the timelines for the project, including any reporting schedules and key deliverables. You can also use this section to describe how you intend to update Cochrane on the progress of the project (such as through periodic brief update reports). The anticipated start date for projects is January 2016 although we have some flexibility in this according to logistic requirements. The maximum duration of the project should be one year, with the provision of a final report and any accompanying outcomes. We do however recognise that dissemination of findings may continue beyond this date, and encourage applicants to include consideration of this in the dissemination section above and stated timelines.

An interim report of progress is a requirement and this should be factored in to be delivered to Cochrane by September 2016 in time for the annual Cochrane Colloquium in October 2016. The intention is that progress will be shared through Cochrane’s Learning and Support team at the Colloquium, although of course should members of the successful project team be attending the Colloquium in another capacity (such as through another role in Cochrane), we would welcome the opportunity for this to happen in partnership. Specific costing for attending the Colloquium will not be considered for this purpose as part of this funding award, and should not be included in the proposed budget.

8. Costing and justificationPlease provide a detailed breakdown of the costing of the proposed project, together with a rationale explaining how the budget is making best use of available funds. The maximum funding available for the successful project as part of the Training Innovations Fund is £30,000 and we will give careful consideration as to how the proposed spend represents value for money.

In line with other charities, Cochrane will provide funding only for directly incurred costs of the project. Directly incurred costs are actual costs that are explicitly identifiable as arising from the conduct of a project, such as staff salaries, equipment, materials and travel, and do not include, for example, institutional overhead charges.

Please provide the financial breakdown in pounds sterling (GBP).

You may also wish to provide any information demonstrating match funding or other associated benefits by institutions, whether that is through resourcing or staff commitment, or provision of means to develop and disseminate training innovations.

9. Involvement or support from CochranePlease use this section to describe any involvement or substantive support required from the Cochrane Central Executive Team or other Cochrane Groups.

Support required from the Central Executive Team may include our Learning & Support staff, the Editorial Unit, Informatics and Knowledge Management staff, Communications & External Affairs staff, etc. For example, your project may have implications for integration

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with technical systems, access to content, information about or proposed changes to editorial policy, or support in communication and dissemination to Cochrane audiences.

The Central Executive Team is available to provide general advice to any prospective applicants about the context and technical feasibility of proposals. Questions about the Training Innovations Fund should be directed in the first instance to Chris Watts, Learning and Support Officer at the contact information given above. You can find more information about the Central Executive Team and its activities here: http://community.cochrane.org/community/organisation-administration/central-executive.

For any advice or support required from other Cochrane Groups, such as methodological input from a Methods Group, or access to content from a particular Review Group, you should contact the Group directly to negotiate this input.

Any substantive scoping work, development or implementation planned to be undertaken by the Central Executive Team, a Methods Group or any other Group as part of the proposed project must be negotiated in advance, and resourced either within the grant budget in section 9, or separately by the applicants.

10. Conflict of interest declarationPlease declare any conflicts of interest that should be taken into consideration. Conflicts of interest can arise from: financial and other commercial interests; personal or professional relationships; academic interests including supervision, funding, jointly published research or competition; and any other relationships that could affect perception of the independence of the Training Innovations Fund process.

Conflicts of interest should be declared by applicants and selection panel members (including LSAC members), regardless of whether they believe the conflict will affect the assessment of any application.

Members of Cochrane’s Learning and Support Advisory Committee (LSAC), or other selection panel members, are not eligible to apply for funding. Selection panel members with a conflict of interest in relation to any proposal will not participate in scoring or discussion of those proposals during the selection process.

Members of the Central Executive Team are not eligible to apply for Training Innovations Fund grants to support their work, although they may receive funds for services in support of successful projects, subject to prior arrangement. Part-time Central Executive staff may apply for funding to support activities outside the hours of their Central Executive roles.

11. Brief team CVsPlease provide brief team CVs of up to two pages per team member, outlining relevant experience and expertise that individuals bring to the proposed project. You may also wish to provide links to example of other relevant training projects.

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Selection and submission information

Selection processThe Training Innovations Fund has a Steering Group made up of members of the Cochrane Central Executive Learning and Development Team and the independent Learning and Support Advisory Committee (LSAC). This Steering Group will act as a selection panel to assess and score proposals according to a pre-defined set of selection criteria. A smaller group of selection panel members may carry out an initial sweep of proposals received, and exclude any that do not meet essential requirements (such as adequate financial breakdowns or timelines, out of scope activities). The Steering Group will make a final recommendation for funding based to the proposal that achieves the best score from this selection process. The Steering Group may seek additional clarifying information from applicants if required to inform their scoring process.

Please note: we may require you to attend a further meeting to present your proposal, should the selection panel have any further questions or points of clarification that it wishes to explore. This meeting can be arranged virtually (likely via Skype or similar) as necessary.

Final ratification of the recommendation of the Steering Group will be made by the full LSAC.

The selection criteria that the panel will use are provided below. Each of the criteria has an accompanying weighting that reflects their relative importance. We recommend that you pay careful attention to the given selection criteria in composing your proposal as they articulate how the panel will assess your submission.

Selection Criteria

1. Innovative approach (weighting score: 30%)To what extent does the proposal demonstrate an innovative approach to training?Consider: Does the proposal explain why the project is considered to be innovative? Does the proposal address a new area of training or a new model? Is the proposal innovative in comparison to current Cochrane activities, in comparison to activity in the broader teaching and learning field, or both?

2. Alignment with Training & Professional Development Strategy (weighting score: 20%)To what extent does the proposal demonstrate alignment to the objectives and / or goals of Cochrane’s Training and Professional Development Strategy?Consider: Does the proposal make explicit reference as to how it contributes to objectives or goals of the Strategy? What is the breadth and depth of coverage – does the proposal cover more than one objective or goal? How might project outcomes inform the aims of the Strategy in the longer term?

3. Value (weighting score: 20%)To what extent does the proposal demonstrate that the project will be valuable, both in terms of value for money and intellectually?

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Consider: Is a financial breakdown for the project provided that shows the project is both realistic, deliverable and a good return on investment? Does the proposal mention any match funding, resourcing or other associated benefits provided by the proposers’ institution? Does the approach include any partnership working that adds value to the project? Is there a dissemination plan for findings of the project that demonstrates intention to contribute to the broader knowledge base (such as conference presentations, publication in peer reviewed journals or other professional channels)? How does the proposal demonstrate that the project might be sustainable after funding is over (such as through resource development or a model that might be adopted)?

4. Viability (weighting score: 30%)To what extent does the proposal demonstrate that the project is practical, feasible and deliverable?Consider: Does the proposal present a realistic balance between aspiring to be innovative and feasibility of the project? How does the proposal present and consider logistics of delivering the project? Is there a realistic timeline and set of deliverables? Does the proposal include a risk assessment or discussion of risk? What is the level and breadth of experience brought by the proposed team? Are roles and responsibilities of team members described? Is there clarity on any expectations for input from Cochrane staff or any Cochrane resource implications?

Evaluation of the Training Innovations FundThis is the inaugural Training Innovations Fund and we are approaching this as a pilot initiative. Cochrane will be evaluating the success of the pilot Training Innovations Fund in order best to develop the initiative in further years. Members of the successful project team will be expected to reasonably participate in this evaluation process, likely through providing written or verbal feedback on the experience of participating in the Training Innovations Fund. Members of unsuccessful applicant teams will also be invited to participate.

Submission of applicationsPlease use the headings provided on the application form as a framework for your submission. You may include additional information or sections that you feel appropriate to or supporting of your application.

Ensure that you also include the complete SIGNATURES section at the end of your submission. Electronic (scanned) signatures are acceptable. Proposals that do not include required signatures will not be considered for selection.

Please return your application by email [with Training Innovations Fund application’ as the header] to cwatts@cochrane.org by Friday 30 October 2015.

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